Cami Tellez hired Ed Victori from United Talent Agency to operationalize Devotion, her agency premise that follower counts no longer predict conversion. Victori joins as co-founder after five years brokering talent deals at UTA. Tellez sold Parade in 2023 for an undisclosed sum after raising $10 million and using micro-influencers to build a direct-to-consumer lingerie brand without traditional media spend.
Devotion prices creator partnerships on comment ratios, save rates, and share velocity rather than reach. Early brand pilots report cost-per-acquisition improvements of 15-30% compared to traditional influencer rosters, according to internal metrics Tellez shared with trade press. The firm represents 40 creators at launch, none with follower counts above 500,000. Minimum engagement rate for representation: 8%, more than double Instagram's platform median of 3.2%.
The move reflects allocator fatigue with influencer fraud and the collapse of follower-count correlation to sales. A 2024 study from Harvard Business School found that creators with 10,000-50,000 followers convert at 2.4x the rate of those above 1 million, controlling for product category. Heritage brands spent an estimated $7.8 billion on influencer marketing in 2024, but attribution models remain primitive. Devotion's pitch: charge 3x CPM but deliver 5x conversion by vetting for actual audience trust, not purchased reach.
Tellez built Parade on this thesis operationally. The brand worked with 3,000+ micro-creators from 2019-2023, generating $50 million in cumulative revenue without a single magazine buy. Her exit timing—months before Meta's algorithm changes punished engagement-bait and rewarded saves—now looks prescient. Victori's UTA background gives Devotion access to mid-tier talent considering exits from traditional representation, where commission structures still reward audience size over conversion proof.
Agencies should monitor whether Devotion's roster expands beyond lifestyle verticals into finance, real estate, and durable goods—categories where trust conversion matters more than awareness. Brand principals allocating 2025 creator budgets will want comparable engagement-to-acquisition data by Q2, when Devotion plans its first public case study release. UTA and CAA both launched creator-commerce divisions in 2024, but neither has disaggregated pricing from follower tiers.
The test is whether luxury and premium brands—historically allergic to micro-influencer aesthetics—will accept lower production values in exchange for higher intent. Tellez claims three heritage fashion houses are already in pilot programs, unnamed. If one goes public with results by mid-2025, expect accelerated poaching of mid-level talent reps from the major agencies.
The takeaway
Devotion prices creators on engagement depth, not reach—early tests show 3x CPM but 5x conversion gains.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
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